OFF THE WALL!

H&M’s boldest collaboration yet — stunning spring prints from a WALLPAPER designer

HIGH Street fashion collaborations were once all about which super-famous luxury designer you could bag. The bigger the name, the better. Send the shoppers crazy and sell the collection out in minutes. Job done.

Not any more. H&M has collaborated on this latest collection not with another high-end catwalk star, but with a designer better known for her walls than her womenswear.

But if award-winning print designer Anna Glover is not a household name in the same way as Stella McCartney or Versace (both successful collaborations for H& M), she does know about patterns — her bespoke wallpapers and textiles have made her the toast of the interiors world.

H& M’s backing points to a broader movement which is underfoot in the high-low fashion collaboration game.

After all, the brand pretty much invented the idea back in 2004, with its limited run of Karl Lagerfeld for H&M pieces.

Since then, collaboration after collaboration has grabbed the headlines — most notably Balmain in 2015, when police had to control crowds of frenzied shoppers in London. Reports circulated of a £399.99 jacket being sold on an online auction site for £3,300 (the same price point as the Balmain main line).

H&M, however, has always been a canny player and understands that you can’t just keep flogging the same idea for ever.

A couple of years ago the mood started to change. Fast, trend-led, disposable fashion was quickly falling out of favour, with shoppers growing increasingly hungry for sophistication, thoughtful design and style longevity. Vogue went as far as to wonder whether the high-low fashion collaboration’s days were numbered.

In response, last year’s H&M collaboration with Erdem had a more grown-up feel than any of its predecessors.

GONE were the novelty and headline-grabbing pieces. Instead, shoppers were treated to Victoriana shirts and Jacquard midis. In, fact H&M is doing grownup rather well at the moment.

Where chic but budget-conscious fashion lovers once flocked to Zara, they now say H&M looks better and is half the price.

Knitwear gets a special commendation, with fashion insiders insisting many pieces in the collection look as good as Ganni (the Copenhagen-based label on every fashion editor’s wish list).

Walk into a store this week and you’re certain to find something that looks pretty similar to designer label Rixo, known for its vintage retro patterns.

But whereas a Rixo dress won’t leave you much change from £300, at H&M you’re looking at something closer to the £30 mark.

The main talking point for the Erdem collaboration, however, was the glorious, sumptuous prints.

You will no doubt have noticed that print is a thing on the High Street right now — encompassing everything from geometric patterns to batiks to lush floral and zoological motifs.

Whether you favour neat polka dots or riotous Palm-Beach-in-the-Sixties swirls, it is perfectly acceptable to wear print head-to-toe this spring. What’s more, after years of a rather clean- cut, minimalist aesthetic, this penchant for print doesn’t appear to be going anywhere any time soon.

Fashion types rave about how well H&M is doing print.

And what better source of glorious, unusual patterns and prints is there than the designers who have dedicated their creative lives to adding visual interest to our walls and homewares?

H&M isn’t alone in cottoning on to the fact that you can inject some serious kudos into your brand by partnering with an interior design artist.

In 2016, Topshop Unique — always good at pre-empting changes in the market — partnered with Wedgwood, bringing out a range of dresses, blouses and skirts featuring the china company’s delicate floral patterns. The effect was unexpectedly charming.

Uniqlo has, this year, linked with Finnish design house Marimekko, famous for its home furnishings and textiles, for a range of polka dot or bright geometric prints and retro floral designs.

And at British luxury brand Mulberry, creative director Johnny Coca has been inspired by classic English patterned porcelain — even using it to fashion shoe heels made from bone-china balls that look like salt-and-pepper pots.

By taking their inspiration from interiors rather than the catwalk, High Street giants are channelling the wider mood towards things that endure.

They are now moving away from fast-fashion where trends come and go in the blink of an eye.

And there is nothing faintly throw-away or faddish about H&M’s latest collaborator, Anna Glover, whose work is frequently described as ‘painterly’.

Her bespoke, botanical-themed wallpapers and textiles would look at home in an exclusive Mayfair club.

Her 17-piece collection for H&M brings those upmarket prints — in deliciously rich colours — to dresses, trousers, shirts, tops, jumpsuits and shorts. The designs were originally painted by Glover, before being digitally manipulated to work for a fashion collection.

The design team has gone to great lengths to let the prints do the talking and keep all other details in the background. Silhouettes are flowing, with many

having wide sleeves or legs, matching fabric belts and drawstring hems.

Perhaps because this is fresh territory for the retailer, H&M has kept prices relatively low for the collaboration.

Prices don’t exceed £49.99, with most dresses, skirts and jumpsuits costing about £35 to £40 and shirts at £20 to £25. So, will artistic link-ups be a regular feature on H&M’s collaboration schedule?

A spokesperson for the brand was at pains to point out that the high- end fashion designer collaborations would continue, but confirmed that this was an avenue H&M would pursue further.

Anna Glover for H&M goes into selected stores worldwide (and online at hm.com) on April 12.

Be sure to add the date to your diary to bag yourself a little bit of design history.

Meanwhile, watch with bated breath to see where this love affair between the British High Street and interior design leads next. Spode for Zara, anyone?